And the World’s Most Admired Company in 2014 Is…

An old stalwart

For the seventh straight year, Apple has been named the World’s Most Admired Company by a jury of its peers in Fortune. Despite a rocky year which saw the tech giant’s stock jump and fall and a sometimes-hot, sometimes-cold public battle with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, Apple is still the envy of the corporate world’s eye.

Why it’s admired:
The iconic tech company known for the iPhone and other stylish and user-friendly products is back in the top spot on this year’s list, for the seventh year in a row. Apple, the most valuable brand on the planet according to Interbrand, brought in $171 billion in revenues in FY2013 and is flush with cash, but fan boys and girls (not to mention the market) are getting antsy to see its next big product. Bets are on a smartwatch or AppleTV, but the company is also reportedly turning its attention to cars and medical devices.

Amazon and Google were No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, having switched places from their 2013’s rankings. Among the other tech companies in Fortune’s top-50 “all star” list: IBM at No. 16, Samsung at No. 21, Microsoft at No. 24, and Facebook at No. 38. The full list of most-admired companies and a description of the methodology used to choose them are available here and in the issue of Fortune that comes out today.